Bianca was born and raised in the San Fernando Valley, but graduated high school in El Paso, Texas. Therefore, she is a Califo[…]

Damion started his journey with ABI in June 2015, as he wanted the opportunity to work with children.  His favorite part of the work that he does with our clients is being [….]

Brandon joined our team at ABI as a skills trainer in November 2014.  Since then, Brandon has become a registered behavior technician (RBT) and has undergone additional training and was promoted to the position of lead RBT.   Prior to joining our team, Brandon worked in an after-school program that an ABI client attended with one of our skills trainers.  That skills trainer, now one of Brandon’s best friends, suggested he apply to ABI and he saw this as an opportunity to grow and learn.

What Brandon enjoys the most about ABA-treatment its focus on problem-solving, regularly asking himself questions like, “How can I take a skill or program and build on it or generalize it? If something isn’t working, how can I bring it to the team, so we can find a new path?” adding, “I find the work that we do and the time we spend with our clients to be extremely important so I want to always keep the ball rolling and teach my clients everything I can.”

Brandon mentioned he has so many amazing memories with every one of his clients over the years that he can’t choose just one. He stated “I’ve always tried to come up with little jokes or silly things that are unique to each client to make them laugh. All my clients have also shown so much tenacity and strength when pushing through. I couldn’t count all the proud memories.”

When it come to new skills trainers, Brandon offered three pieces of advice:

1. Always be honest, but sensitive when telling parents about difficulties their children are having. And, always keep a list in your mind of the good things that happen during your session. Our clients have so many personal victories and triumphs throughout the day and their parents deserve to hear about how amazing their child is.
2. Once you are starting to feel comfortable in your role as a skills trainer and you’ve built a rapport with your client, push them to always give their best effort. Know when they are doing their best, given the circumstances, but always encourage them to speak more clearly, work more carefully, and be brave and independent.
3. Look for all the little things you can do to help your clients build stronger bonds with their families, peers, and teachers. Find all the little things that will help your client participate and engage in their world. Take all those little pieces and try to help your client put them together to live their happiest and most fulfilled life.

Brandon was born and raised in Los Angeles.  In his free time, he enjoys gardening, considering himself to be a bit of a plant hoarder. He also enjoys playing video games and recently took up playing dodge ball.

Thanks for being such a valuable member of our team, Brandon!

Cynthia grew up in Los Angeles and has stayed for her family and professional growth. Cynthia was inspired to pursue a career in ABA after working with parents to help them learn strategies to teach their children new skills and manage challenging behaviors.  During graduate school in CSUN’s Master of Science in ABA program, Cynthia felt it was important to gain more experience working directly with children receiving comprehensive and focused ABA to be a more effective program supervisor. This is when she became a part of ABI’s team and has felt right at home ever since.

 

When asked about her favorite memory with a client, Cynthia shared, “I have so many favorite memories! I always leave my clients’ homes or schools with something exciting, fun, or funny to share.”  One Cynthia’s favorite memories occurred this past summer, while teaching a preschool-aged girl, Nora, to talk about the world around her.   Because Nora greatly enjoyed going for walks, Cynthia would frequently start sessions with a 10-minute walk, during which there were many natural learning opportunities. Nora learned to label houses, cars, birds, flowers, trees, and more on these walks.  One day, upon seeing a broccoli as part of a play food set, Nora said, “tree.”  While not technically correct, this is a great example of stimulus generalization as broccoli shares many physical properties with a tree and Cynthia could relate, noting, “I remember calling broccoli ‘little trees’ when I was a little girl.”

 

Her advice to new skills trainers is, “Our job is so fun and rewarding, but it’s also not easy. I would advise new skill trainers to ask questions or for help whenever needed. Also, reaching out to the supervisors for general support is a great idea!”

 

When she’s not at work, you can find Cynthia reading, watching Netflix, going to the theatre and to concerts, and spending time with friends and family.

 

Thanks for all your hard work Cynthia!